Circus Café

A sensation of sensations

Story by Gabrielle Bilik

Approaching the Circus Café in beautiful downtown Saratoga, the first thing I notice is how well they incorporate the circus theme. Even outside on the sidewalk, the place looks very ring ling-esque. The podium where the host waits is painted red and says “Step right Up,” like a ticket booth. Today's specials are written on a small chalkboard amidst a sea of chalk-drawn bubbles.

Inside, the restaurant does a good job of creating circus-like décor without making me scared, or nauseous. There are beautiful ornaments hanging from the high ceiling, and gorgeous hand-blown, Venetian chandeliers hanging above the tables. I’m happy to report that there are no clowns.

The bright yellow of the walls is diffused a bit by the dimly lit bar area that runs along the entire left side of the restaurant. It’s a simple brick wall, with tigers painted on it. They’re subtle and hard to notice at first. On May 1, the café will be celebrating its 6th anniversary, a birthday that it shares with the owners’ daughter Lucy, who will be turning seven.  There is a beautiful mural dedicated to her in the back of the restaurant. I thought the Circus Café was going to be either too outlandish or too childlike, but with the mood lighting and the well chosen décor, it was a surprisingly sophisticated atmosphere.

The menus have illustrations of tigers and elephants, and the circus theme is incorporated by calling sides “side shows,” and onion rings “jumbo onion ring-lings.” It’s a tad exotic as well, enhancing the out-of-the- ordinary feel of the circus, offering jasmine rice as a side, authentic Bermuda beer, and cilantro lime-vinaigrette dressing.”

Usually at restaurants, guests are served water and bread, but we were brought water and a dish of popcorn.  It tasted just like movie theatre popcorn, and the waiter promptly filled our water glasses without us asking.  I don’t think we even made it halfway through our glasses without him swooping in to re-fill them.

The waiters are uniformed in all black, but their tee-shirts have writing on them that say things like, “ex ring master.” It’s a nice touch.

Service there is speedy and friendly. The food is a bit pricey for a college student if you go into it assuming someplace with café in the name will give you coffee shop prices. The prices are on par with Applebee’s, so bring a few extra ace notes.  There is a sign in the bathroom advertising their famous critic-approved “Circus Burger,” so I chose that. It was priced at $ 8.99, with 25 cents for each additional topping. I ordered cheese. I passed on the circus fries and ordered a side salad with cilantro lime vinaigrette.  My companion ordered a veggie burger and a side salad with peppercorn parmesan dressing. They also offer a gluten-free menu.

The food didn’t take long, and the wait was enjoyable. We listened to the bartender laughing and joking with a few people, who I assume were regulars because they were all on a first-name basis. There was also pleasant music floating out of some well-hidden speakers.  It was nice because the music was not circus music at all. There was some James Taylor and some more upbeat, poppy music.

The presentation was nice. The food wasn’t served on tacky circus plates. Instead, it came on plain white dishes. The meal was colorful and well presented. The circus burger was delicious. It had that fresh char-grilled taste and I could actually taste each ingredient; the cheese, tomato, lettuce, and beef. It was a decent sized burger, not too thick or thin. The salad was good, and they served the dressing on the side in a tiny pewter cream pourer. The dressing tasted more like lime than cilantro, I was hoping for the opposite, but it was still yummy.

My friend enjoyed her veggie burger very much. She had it garnished with lettuce, tomato, and guacamole, and when I asked her if it was good, she smiled and said, “It tastes like summer.”

Dessert was delicious as well. We got a heaping plate of homemade purple cotton candy with sprinkles on it. I think it’s a good restaurant for all the people that come to visit Saratoga, because the fun theme appeals to children. If you want to have more grown-up fun there is also a bar and a nice social atmosphere.

They have a book club, karaoke nights, jazz bands, and they’re introducing “trivia nights,” which will be held at the restaurant on Sunday. They cater and have a party room available for special occasions. Although the Circus Café is without tightropes and trapeze artists, it still offers a lot of performances and events that the members of the community can partake in and enjoy.

Have you ever been to the circus?

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